The expression of shock at completely predictable consequences.
Origin: Pokemon anime, Season 1 Episode 10 (1997)
Went viral: October 2018
Format: Image macro with setup text above, Pikachu's shocked face below
Theme: Surprised by an obvious, foreseeable consequence
The screenshot comes from Pokemon episode "Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village" (1997), where Pikachu opens his mouth in shock. The image sat dormant for 21 years before Tumblr user Dodostad posted it in 2018 with the format: state a predictable setup, then show Pikachu's surprised face as the reaction to the obvious outcome.
The format brilliantly captures a universal human tendency: doing something with a predictable bad outcome, then acting shocked when that outcome occurs. It's sarcastic without being mean, universal without being specific.
The meme works because everyone has had moments where they ignored obvious warning signs. The humor comes from the gap between "I should have seen this coming" and "I cannot believe this happened." Surprised Pikachu is the face of willful ignorance meeting reality.
It's also inherently gentle — no one looks bad in a Surprised Pikachu meme except the abstract concept of poor planning. That makes it shareable across all audiences without causing offense.
Playing EEEEE as your first Wordle guess because "E is the most common letter."
[Pikachu face]
When four E's show up gray and you've wasted your best guess.
— Wordle strategy requires actual strategy
Buying a Scrabble dictionary, never reading it, then complaining about losing.
[Pikachu face]
When opponent plays QI and scores 31 points.
— Two-letter words win games
Check out more meme history at Drake Meme and This Is Fine Dog.